Knowledge about glaucoma among patients attending the outpatient department of the department of ophthalmology of a tertiary care hospital

Background: Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. It is a noncommunicable chronic eye disease which needs lifelong care and treatment. Optic nerve damage is progressive and the disease mostly remains asymptomatic which makes it a public health challenge. Raising public awareness and knowledge about glaucoma is a key factor in early detection and management. The aim of the study was to assess knowledge about glaucoma among patients attending the eye outpatient department (OPD) of a tertiary care hospital.Methods: This study was conducted on 100 patients who attended the eye OPD of department of ophthalmology, Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu from December 2021 to May 2022. The study subjects were given a questionnaire and they had to respond to questions by choosing one of the three options.Results: In our study the mean age of patients was 50.65 years with majority of patients (50%) falling in the age group of 30 to 50 years. The male to female ratio was 1.7:1. Only 23% of the study subjects were knowledgeable about the fact that glaucoma was the most important cause of irreversible blindness. 83% of the respondents correctly identified people over 40 years of age at risk for developing glaucoma. Only 25% of the respondents identified pressure related damage to optic nerve as a feature of glaucoma. Majority of patients were unaware about asymptomatic nature of glaucoma. 93% of the study subjects considered glaucoma treatable. Only 23% had knowledge that irreversible loss of vision was the end result of glaucoma.Conclusions: This study showed that knowledge about glaucoma was limited in our part of the country. There is a need to increase awareness about the disease so that we can reduce the burden of glaucoma related blindness

AirKit: A Citizen-Sensing Toolkit for Monitoring Air Quality.

Increasing urbanisation and a better understanding of the negative health effects of air pollution have accelerated the use of Internet of Things (IoT)-based air quality sensors. Low-cost and low-power sensors are now readily available and commonly deployed by individuals and community groups. However, there are a wide range of such IoT devices in circulation that differently focus on problems of sensor validation, data reliability, or accessibility. In this paper, we present AirKit, which was developed as an integrated and open source "social IoT technology". AirKit enables a comprehensive approach to citizen-sensing air quality through several integrated components: (1) the Dustbox 2.0, a particulate matter sensor; (2) Airsift, a data analysis platform; (3) a reliable and automatic remote firmware update system; (4) a "Data Stories" method and tool for communicating citizen data; and (5) an AirKit logbook that provides a guide for designing and running air quality projects, along with instructions for building and using AirKit components. Developed as a social technology toolkit to foster open processes of research co-creation and environmental action, Airkit has the potential to generate expanded engagements with IoT and air quality by improving the accuracy, legibility and use of sensors, data analysis and data communication.This research was supported by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007–2013)/ERC Grant Agreement n. 313347, “Citizen Sensing and Environmental Practice: Assessing Participatory Engagements with Environments through Sensor Technologies”, and from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (ERC Grant Agreement n. 779921), “AirKit: Citizen Sense Air Monitoring Kit”. The University of Cambridge provided additional support through the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (2020) for enabling impact

Clinical profile and histo-pathological profile of peri-ocular lesions

Background: Eyelid carcinoma is the most common malignant lesion of eyelid region, and may involve either skin or tarus or inner layer of eyelid. The most common primary eyelid malignancy is basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC), sebaceous gland carcinoma (SGC), malignant melanoma, and Merkel cell carcinoma. The prevalence of these malignant lesion vary according to the geographical region. The aim of the study was to correlate the diagnosis of various peri-ocular lesions with the histological diagnosis.Methods: This prospective longitudinal study was conducted over a period of two years in patients with ocular and periocular skin lesions. All the patients underwent incision biopsy of the lesion biopsy material was sent for histopathology examination. The histological profile of the tumour was confirmed by the report.Results: The mean age in our study was 32.7±18.4 years with age range of 18 to 78 years, with 108 females (54%) and 92 males (46%). 173 (86.5%) were benign lesions and 27 (13.5%) were malignant lesions. Right eye was involved in more cases (n=104, 52%) as compared to left eye (n=96, 48%). Upper eye lid was involved more (n=102, 51%) than lower eye lid (n=98, 49%). Epidermal cyst was most common lesion (n=43, 21.5%), followed by dermoid cyst (n=28, 14%). Sebaceous gland carcinoma was most (n=15, 7.5%) malignant lesion, followed by basal cell carcinoma (n=7, 3, 5%).Conclusions: All excised eyelid lesions must be submitted for histopathologic confirmation to achieve 100% accuracy in diagnosis and treatment. Early diagnosis remains essential for adequate functional and cosmetic lid reconstruction

Prevalence of refractive errors and their association with socio demographic characteristics in pediatric patients attending tertiary eye care centre

Background: Uncorrected refractive errors are one of the major culprits of visual impairment among children in our country. Children included in school going age groups i.e., 6-16 years, represent 25% of population in developing countries. They fall in the category of preventable age group for correction of refractive errors. This paper describes the salient features and results of the cross-sectional study conducted to determine the prevalence of refractive errors and their association with socio demographic characteristics in pediatric population objective were to study the prevalence of refractive errors and their association with socio demographic characteristics in pediatric patients attending tertiary eye care centre.Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of one year among children in 0-16 years age group and a total of 444 patients were included. All children were examined by ophthalmologists and refraction was done by optometrists. Data was analysed using web-based software open epi version 3.01.Results: Prevalence of refractive errors was found to be 29.5%. Amongst the socio demographic factors, there was a significant association of age and literacy with refractive errors whereas gender and residence were not found to be significant.Conclusions: Refractive errors are an important preventable cause of childhood ocular morbidity. Schools are an excellent platform to educate children and their parents regarding eye care and signs of ocular morbidity due to refractive errors. Health education activities in schools need to be intensified

Design and development of an open-source framework for citizen-centric environmental monitoring and data analysis

Cities around the world are struggling with environmental pollution. The conventional monitoring approaches are not effective for undertaking large-scale environmental monitoring due to logistical and cost-related issues. The availability of low-cost and low-power Internet of Things (IoT) devices has proved to be an effective alternative to monitoring the environment. Such systems have opened up environment monitoring opportunities to citizens while simultaneously confronting them with challenges related to sensor accuracy and the accumulation of large data sets. Analyzing and interpreting sensor data itself is a formidable task that requires extensive computational resources and expertise. To address this challenge, a social, open-source, and citizen-centric IoT (Soc-IoT) framework is presented, which combines a real-time environmental sensing device with an intuitive data analysis and visualization application. Soc-IoT has two main components: (1) CoSense Unit-a resource-efficient, portable and modular device designed and evaluated for indoor and outdoor environmental monitoring, and (2) exploreR-an intuitive cross-platform data analysis and visualization application that offers a comprehensive set of tools for systematic analysis of sensor data without the need for coding. Developed as a proof-of-concept framework to monitor the environment at scale, Soc-IoT aims to promote environmental resilience and open innovation by lowering technological barriers.ISSN:2045-232

Vayu: An Open-Source Toolbox for Visualization and Analysis of Crowd-Sourced Sensor Data

Recent advances in sensor technology and the availability of low-cost and low-power sensors have changed the air quality monitoring paradigm. These sensors are being widely used by scientists and citizens for monitoring air quality at finer spatial-temporal resolution. Such practices are opening up opportunities to enhance the traditional monitoring networks, but at the same time, these sensors are producing large data sets that can become overwhelming and challenging when it comes to the scientific tools and skills required to analyze the data. To address this challenge, an open-source, robust, and cross-platform sensor data analysis toolbox called Vayu is developed that allows researchers and citizens to do detailed and reproducible analyses of air quality data. Vayu combines the power of visualization and statistical analysis using a simple and intuitive graphical user interface. Additionally, it offers a comprehensive set of tools for systematic analysis such as data conversion, interpolation, aggregation, and prediction. Even though Vayu was developed with air quality research in mind, it can be used to analyze different kinds of time-series data.ISSN:1424-822

Data Marketplaces: A Solution for Personal Data Control and Ownership?

Data sharing is critical for advancing research, commercializing technologies, and informing people. However, data owners have been reluctant to share data due to concerns about data control, access, and a lack of secure data storage solutions. Frequent data breaches have also led to a lack of user trust in businesses. Despite widespread recognition of user concerns, few steps have been taken to empower users. While there are models for decentralized data sharing, the question of how to incentivize these structures to enable data sharing at scale is largely unexplored. This work discusses the potential of blockchain-based data marketplaces to empower users by giving them more control over their data and bringing transparency to the data-driven ecosystem.ISSN:2071-105

Smart Cities and Access to Nature: A Framework for Evaluating Green Recreation Space Accessibility

As our world becomes increasingly urbanized, smart cities are leading the way in using technology to create more efficient, connected, and sustainable environments. However, amidst all the talk of connectivity and smartness, it’s crucial not to lose sight of one of the most basic human needs: access to nature in cities. This research describes a novel open-source framework for investigating the availability and accessibility of green recreation spaces using open-source data and statistical analytic approaches. The framework includes a comprehensive set of tools for data extraction, processing, analysis, and visualization, thereby enabling reproducible geospatial research. We test our framework on five international cities: Medellin, Milan, Chicago, Singapore, and Mumbai. Through geospatial analysis and statistical modeling of data sourced from OpenStreetMaps, we explore and comprehend the characteristics and distribution of spatial accessibility related to green recreation spaces in five cities. We find significant clustering of green recreation spaces in all these cities, indicating that a majority of such spaces are located in close proximity to each other within small areas. Our findings also shed light on the potential implications of unequal distribution of green recreation spaces for the health and well-being of city residents and highlight the need for policies and initiatives that promote equitable access to green recreation spaces in smart cities

Visual Outcomes in Pediatric Cataract

Background- Childhood cataract is one of the leading causes of treatable blindness accounting for 7.4%–15.3% of pediatric blindness. Age atpresentation, age at the time of surgery and associated ocular abnormalities determine the outcome of pediatric cataract surgery. The main aim ofthe pediatric cataract surgery is to provide a clear optical axis. The two main factors that affect the final outcome are amblyopia and posteriorcapsular opacification. This study was conceptualized to study the visual outcomes, etiology and complications of pediatric cataractsurgery.Material and Methods: This prospective study included 71 eyes of 52 patients with childhood cataract <18 years of age. Detailed historyand ocular history were taken. Relevant investigations for surgery and for establishing the etiology were undertaken. All the children underwentirrigation and aspiration of lens matter with wide anterior capsulotomy, posterior capsulotomy and implantation of IOL. All children were followedup for one year. Post-operative complications were managed accordingly and occlusion therapy for amblyopia was given in unilateralcases.Results:The mean age at the time of surgery in our study was 6.5±1.22 years. There were 63.46% cases of unilateral cataract with more thanhalf of the cases being idiopathic in etiology. Vitreous thrust was the most common intra-operative complication (8.45%). Post-operativeinflammation manifesting as iridocycllitis was the most common early post-operative complication (15.49%) and posterior capsular opacificationwas the most common late post-operative complication (25.35%). Final visual outcome was good in 43.66% cases with final visual acuity of >6/24.Conclusion:Management of childhood cataract is a challenging process. The age at which cataract is operated is very crucial for final visualoutcome. After cataract removal, regular update on refraction and occlusion therapy for amblyopia are crucial for achieving good visual outcome

Smart Cities and Access to Nature: A Framework for Evaluating Green Recreation Space Accessibility

As our world becomes increasingly urbanized, smart cities are leading the way in using technology to create more efficient, connected, and sustainable environments. However, amidst all the talk of connectivity and smartness, it's crucial not to lose sight of one of the most basic human needs: access to nature in cities. This research describes a novel open-source framework for investigating the availability and accessibility of green recreation spaces using open-source data and statistical analytic approaches. The framework includes a comprehensive set of tools for data extraction, processing, analysis, and visualization, thereby enabling reproducible geospatial research. We test our framework on five international cities: Medellin, Milan, Chicago, Singapore, and Mumbai. Through geospatial analysis and statistical modeling of data sourced from OpenStreetMaps, we explore and comprehend the characteristics and distribution of spatial accessibility related to green recreation spaces in five cities. We find significant clustering of green recreation spaces in all these cities, indicating that a majority of such spaces are located in close proximity to each other within small areas. Our findings also shed light on the potential implications of unequal distribution of green recreation spaces for the health and well-being of city residents and highlight the need for policies and initiatives that promote equitable access to green recreation spaces in smart cities.ISSN:2169-353